good lol. :3 I don't handle my doggies rough. if they bite though, i do some things people "whine" about, which don't hurt the dog, but keeps me from getting gashes. (i.e back of the mouth idea, don't pull, push!)

my friend and I went to the spca to kill time. there was surprisingly... no pits. one rottie though - 5 years old - escape artist there was a shephard mix, BIG dog... he was so scared we went in, and we didn't touch him or anything, but he sure didn't like the fact he was in a strange place with people! makes me wonder who did him so wrong that made him end up dumped at the spca, no social skills (or bad experience!!)...

I'm just about to start a very interesting book about dog behavior- specifically aggressive behavior. It's called "The Culture Clash" and it just reminded me of this thread xD
Edit: Just started the intro- so far very good. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who's interested in studying this topic further.

lol I've learned dog behavior by watching them :3 interaction, any "dominance" dogs do (usually "humping" action people discourage), and signs of when the dog is scared/aggressive. I mostly see scared.

actually, I've never seen a scared pitbull :/ except the puppy!! -remembered- he got out of the yard, and um.... it's from one of those "WE're home breeders and will make 500 off each pup with our two pitbulls". if I didn't have moral standings, I wouldn't have brought him back.

I do agree about terriers not being the ideal family dog.
My best friend's parents thought a rat terrier would be a great dog when my best friend was little. This dog mortally HATES children. Every time we go out in public with our dogs Emma gets all the attention and Jack hides behind BFF. We always have to tell kids they can't touch him. He'll snarl growl and threaten to bite.

And I've only had chihuahuas being meanies. although the miniature yorkie pretending to be bigger than the great dane was the cutest, funniest thing to see x.x
oh, and my dad's dog wanted to take on a pitbull

Docshounds. I've never met a nice one. Even my mother's Dixie was mean if you caught her at the wrong time. And barked at EVERYTHING. I would never own another one. And don't get me wrong. I LOVED Dixie. Heck, she was the first pet I had when I was little, so I idolized her. But how that I've had a black lab (Killed.. sigh.. shot with a crossbow by some stupid kids) and a tiny little mutt my father in law gave me. (We gave her away when out house burned down. My neighbor was watching her for us and her autistic son fell in love. I couldn't say no) I will never own another little dog again.. or another big dog. Sadie is perfect for me. She's active enough to go on walks and hang out at the flea market, but calm enough to cuddle on the couch and watch TV. She's good with cats and kids, and having a disabled cat means I couldn't have a mean dog, ever, or risk a dead cat. And she never barks unless someone is around the house.. I never intended her to be a guard dog, but she's really good at it.

In short.. It wasn't the training, it was the dog. She was a good dog before I crate trained and leash trained her. She was a good dog as soon as we got her, and only got better from there. If a good dog can be born, so can a bad dog, and it doesn't matter the breed.

There's no way to regulate ownership of animals in a way that would keep bad dogs away from people. It's just not possible. Any dog can be bad. It can be born in, it can be taught, but breed doesn't matter. Singling out the pitbulls because they have the "Locking jaw" (-snort-) or because they've been bred for fighting each other (Not true) is like, as said before, singling out a race of people because members of it are violent. Dogs are as individual as people.

When I was a young girl, it was German Shepherds that were the bad dog. Later it was Dobermans, then Rotweillers, now Pit Bulls. It never ends. I honestly believe when there isn't a medical problem, most dogs are good when trained properly.

Wait, whoever said Brad Pattison (end of my leash) is a good trainer is wrong. A trainer who refuses to allow his sessions being filmed?? Um, why? There are some hidden videos on youtube of him abusing dogs. Not only dominating them, but physically attacking them. revolutionrockandroll was right, Cesear's dogs and Pattison's methods seem to "work" because the dog is afraid to do anything else.
Anyway, we'll only go off topic here on training.
Pitbulls don't "lock" their jaws. They have incredibly powerful grip, but they don't "lock". Not like painful lockjaw that people experience.
I love pitties, I love terriers as a whole group. I mean, the smaller they get the worse they get (yorkies) but I do admire my Airdales!! Such regal prince-like goofs they are! They can be ideal for families prepared to handle up to 15 years of crazy energy!! A rocking good time in my honest opinion.